Hello… we are Kristan and Jeana, one half of Scottish/Orkney folk band, FARA. It’s a pleasure to be asked to write this blog about one of the things we got up to during the lockdown of 2020! Back when FARA began – the unexpected result of a one-off concert at 2014’s Orkney Folk Festival – … Continued

Hello! My name is Chris Gray and I’m a Scottish piper, whistle player, pianist and composer, originally from Lockerbie in the South West of Scotland. This past year, during the pandemic, has highlighted even more to me the intense pleasure of having the freedom to travel, and experience new places and opportunities. It is something … Continued

Is there nothing new under the sun? It sometimes seems not. While 2020 will be remembered as the year we all discovered Zoom and online sessions, it is interesting to note that this is a phenomenon that has a precedent right back at least to the early 20th Century, when telephone lines were few and … Continued

What a carry on this has been. The ups and downs have been seemingly never ending this year. In this blog I thought I would try and chart some of the things I’ve found to keep myself going with music. Back in March I was pretty lazy to begin with. I lay around like it … Continued

URRANTA [Scottish Gaelic. adj. bold, daring, intrepid.] I’ve always been interested in words: definition, syntax, vocabulary; how they appear in different languages; how they come and go in trends; how we use them to communicate, persuade and empathise effectively. I’ve always been curious about people’s stories: pivotal moments, chance encounters, loves and losses and defining … Continued

‘Would you ever consider teaching online?’ One of my students asked me this just as the lockdown started. To be honest, I’d never really thought about it in any detail before. Our first lesson seemed to go pretty well – I could hear and see them, they could hear and see me, and we can … Continued

The power of music to heal, nurture, and connect, is a notion that no-one reading this will need to be convinced of, and its potential for transforming lives lies at the heart of my work as a music practitioner and fiddle teacher. In our present pandemic world, the place that music and music-making can have … Continued

I am confused by time. The year has barely begun and yet it’s October; so much has happened and now it’s nearly over. I know it’s so classic but it’s true! I feel this very deeply yet ultimately my life has slowed right down. So, the concept of time is something I’ll never fully understand … Continued

“Do you still play your Bass?” I was often asked this question by friends from years past, and perhaps more tellingly my family every now and then – and it frustrated me. What place did music have in my life now? I was disconnected from it, and from the instrument that had represented not only … Continued

As we start to come out of lockdown, we know that we have all faced challenges but I am writing this to highlight how it has affected musicians. These are the people that we turn to when we seek entertainment, community cohesion, celebration, a chance to dance, or a way to feel. We are not … Continued